Pig genetics and great tasting pork are definitely linked says Rattlerow Farms and they have several 2014 award-winning customers to support their case.
Two of the company’s customers, for example, Redhill Farm in Lincolnshire and Staffordshire-based Packington Pork, gained gold stars this year in the “food industry Oscars”, the Great Taste Awards. Redhill earned a Golden Fork Award for its free range loin of pork, while Packington secured gold star accolades for three of its products.
Both businesses use LandRoc damlines and Optimus terminal sires, producing finished pigs which they retail direct to customers and independent outlets.
Jane and Terry Tomlinson, who own Redhill’s free-range herd, were credited for the “great aroma and beautiful marbling throughout its fresh pork”. Judges said its clean depth of flavour and sweet succulent, silky taste was outstanding.
Packington’s pork loin, meanwhile, was admired for its “succulent, juicy and very tender traits” when gaining three gold stars from the judging panel.
Further north, Rattlerow customer, the Voakes family, earned the title of Yorkshire’s Best Pork Pie producer, with the ingredients they used being home-produced from the family’s 300-sow indoor breeding and finishing herd.
“An increasing number of our customers are now producing and marketing their own pork and pigmeat products and pork quality is paramount for these businesses,” said Rattlerow’s UK sales manager, Simon Guise.
“The quality of their raw material product, in terms of the pigs they produce and rear, has to be consistent and the feedback from customers is that our genetics are ticking the right boxes, both on the farm and on the plate.”